Raised by The Moon
by Wisdom Rose
Summary: Remus could have changed Harry's life significantly if he had raised him as his own. The events of his third year, especially, could have turned out very different.
1. Chapter 1

"I won't stand for this, Albus. I will not leave this office without your promise." Remus pressed his palms to the oak of Dumbledore's desk, his face clouded in anger that was so unlike him. It had been less than twenty four hours since James and Lily's bodies had been recovered from Godric's Hallow. Less than twenty four hours since Sirius had been arrested. Less than twenty four hours since Harry had become an orphan. Remus wasn't going to waste a moment. "I'm not leaving until you assure me I will have custody of Harry."

Dumbledore put his hands together for a moment, seeming to think. Harry lay asleep just feet away, in a muggle car seat Lily had bought so she could take him on the Knight Bus with her and he could sleep anywhere in the house next to her as she cleaned. Albus studied the baby for a moment, noting how his scar was closing over now, but looked fresh and bright as if he had been cut just moments before. Harry had screamed for hours until Remus had given him a bottle with the smallest amount of dreamless sleep potion. He was out like a light now."You know I can't do that, Remus."

"Why not?" Remus hissed desperately, hitting the desk now with the palm of his hand. "Is it because I'm a werewolf? Albus, you know I'd never put Harry in any sort of danger. He'll be perfectly safe with me. Far safer and far happier then he'd ever be with Petunia Evans. She hates magic."

"You don't know that for sure, Remus. She's married now, she has a son of her own. Harry is her family, and I'm sure she's feeling sentimental right now. She'll take good care of Harry." Dumbledore looked up then to Remus, lowering his hands. "Harry does not need to grow up in the Wizarding World with all of this publicity. He should have a normal childhood, away from these responsibilities until he goes to Hogwarts."

Remus shook his head violently. "No! Albus, you aren't understanding me. S-" He stopped then for a moment, Sirius's name dying and choking at his lips. He had yet to process everything, how one of his best friends had been responsible for the death of the rest. "I can't go home without him. I can't go home knowing he's with her and not me. Please, Albus. Please…I'm all he has left and hes…" Remus swallowed tightly then, putting a hand to his throat. "He's all I have. Please."

Dumbledore was very quiet then, looking over at Harry again and seeming to study him for what felt like forever to Remus. Finally, he slowly stood and looked at Remus over his half moon spectacles. "Fine." He whispered, gesturing to the baby, now slowly waking up. "Take him home. I'll have the ministry draw up the papers in the morning and send them to you. You'll be his official guardian in a few days. I hope you know what you're getting into, Remus."

Moving to Harry, who was yawning and blinking up at the unfamiliar place, he kneeled down. Though he saw Remus, Harry felt the pain in his scar and remembered the absolute fear from seeing Lily fall and being taken away from Sirius. As he began to cry, Remus scooped him up into his arms, pressing the baby boy close to his chest. Harry closed his eyes, his crying beginning to cease as he rubbed his cheek into the soft wool of Remus's sweater. His thumb came up and went into his mouth and he contently lay there, clutching onto his new guardian.

"I'm absolutely positive I know exactly what I'm doing, Albus." Remus whispered then as he watched Harry. The boy opened his eyes then and green looked curiously into blue. He removed his thumb then and gave Remus a tearful smile, hiccupping. "Moo-ey." Harry whispered and Remus felt the lump finally rise so high in his throat that it pushed tears out of his own eyes.

Because of this little boy, eventually, he would be fine.

When they got back to Remus's small cottage, he wasted no time in getting Harry ready for bed. It was night again by that time, a full twenty four hours since Halloween, but it felt like four minutes. Harry lay still as Remus changed him into his favorite pajamas, the ones with the stags, dogs, and wolves on them that Lily had made for his birthday. Remus's hands shook as he buttoned it up and lifted Harry into his small crib. His nursery had been there since Harry was born, as Remus liked to have him stay. Whenever Sirius was babysitting him, he would come stay with Remus, and they would watch him together. Remus closed his eyes against the memories before tucking Harry into his blankets. He leaned down then, kissing the boy softly on the forehead, careful of his scar.

Once Harry was asleep, Remus moved and collapsed into the rocking chair in the corner. For a long while, he sat there, staring straight ahead, his entire body shaking in silent, unmoving grief that had yet to hit his mind. It was coming quickly, however, he could feel it piercing his heart and filling his lungs. He lowered his head then, his eyes closing against the pain that washed over him like a tide. "Why?" He breathed out, tears finally coming in a rush.

He let out a sob, which he quickly stifled with the back of his hand, pressing his other one to his knee to brace himself. "Oh, Sirius, why?" He breathed out, pressing his forehead now to his open palms. Breathing was becoming difficult, so he attempted to take in long, shuddering gasps, as if he was suffocating or drowning. Standing now, he moved from Harry's room into his own.

Nearly collapsing to the floor, he pressed his back against the end of the bed and pulled his knees up to his chest. "Oh Merlin, why?" He came out in a moan as he pressed his face to his knees, his shoulders shaking with the pent up grief. It was hard to accept and process that everything he truly loved had been taken away from him. Harry was all he had left and it killed him to think of the boy as an orphan. He knew that, no matter what, he'd have to make sure Harry never felt unloved a day in his life.

- ~ -

It wasn't long before a routine had set in for Remus. One that he could often numbly move through. Harry was such a hand full in the first few years of his life that the man didn't have much time to feel sorry for himself or to grieve over what he had lost. Every day, Harry would learn something new, say something different, or discover another part of the world. Remus couldn't do much else other than watch his every move.

There were obstacles to overcome on a daily basis, of course. Remus knew that his lycanthropy would be a regular problem, but he had managed to make that work as well. Each month, Harry would go Hogwarts for the duration of Remus's transformations, including the day before and two days after. At first, as a baby, Harry would scream and fight, clinging onto Remus for dear life. But, soon enough, after about a year of regular routine, he seemed to look forward to it. He didn't like how tired Remus was before and after, or how much pain he seemed to go through, but he enjoyed Hogwarts. Usually, he would spend the time with Albus, wondering the school and exploring all the ins and outs. And if Albus was busy, as he usually was during the school year, Hagrid would take care of him. Remus was immensely thankful for all the friends he had there, and soon, it became easier and easier to leave Harry there. By the time Harry went to Hogwarts for school, it was already a second home to him.

What wasn't easy about the full moons, however, was doing it alone. For nearly ten years, he had gotten used to having Sirius, Peter and James with him during the his transformations. But now, those nights were spent alone. This was before Wolfsbane, before the pain was manageable. These nights, especially the first year, were the worst Remus ever remembered experiencing.

But even with these setbacks, Remus did his best to raise Harry as he thought Lily and James would like him to be raised, as well as how his own father had raised him. Before he knew it, Harry was walking. He was saying complete sentences, and he was curious about nearly everything around him. With these developments, the inevitable questions came.

"Remus?" Harry's soft, trembling voice came from the door of his office and Remus turned around, giving the young boy a concerned look. He was six then, and had just recently gotten his glasses. Remus couldn't help but think how adorable he was with his messed black hair and the glasses that were too big for his little face. Right now he was fidgeting with his hands, his lip trembling with pent up tears. "I had a bad dream."

Remus patted his leg and Harry walked over, climbing up to sit on his lap. Harry leaned his head against his shoulder then as Remus rapped his arms around him. "What was it about, Cub?" He asked, his voice soothing Harry's heart rate down from it's frantic beat. Remus rubbed his back gently, looking down at him. "You can tell me, Harry. What scared you so badly?"

Harry was staring down at his lap, playing with a little golden snitch on the knee of his pajama pants. They were green, with little enchanted snitches that flew around the fabric. "It was dark. And I could hear screams. Of a lady…she was screaming my name. And then there were flashes of green light. Then I woke up." He looked up at Remus then, clutching the arm that was around him tightly with his little hands.

Remus was quiet for a moment, trying to keep the sadness out of his eyes so he wouldn't worry Harry. "Have you had this nightmare before?" Harry had asked of his parents before, but only in innocent ways. What they liked to do, had they been like him…simple things. But now, he was verging on asking about their death, and Remus wasn't so sure he was ready for that.

Harry nodded slowly to answer Remus's question, pressing his cheek into the soft fabric of his guardian's sweater. It always calmed him and made him feel safe, to sit like this in Remus's lap. It was as if nothing in the world could harm him as long as Remus had a tight hold of him. "Yes, but they're always different." His young voice shook with hesitancy. "Sometimes, I can see her face. Mummy. She's always so scared. She reaches for me and screams, but it always ends in green light." He peared up at Remus then, who was staring straight ahead. "Why? Why was Mummy so scared?"

Remus swallowed then, putting a hand to his face. It took him a moment to contain his emotions and gather the courage to look at Harry again. "You remember when I told you about how your Mum and Dad died? About how they tried to save you, how brave they were? An evil man was after them and they were betrayed." Remus's voice caught on the last word. "Your Mum sacrificed her life so you could live and be the happy, wonderful boy you are. It's the best gift she could give to you. She was scared for you, Harry, but she isn't scared anymore."

The little boy was quiet then as he looked away from Remus and closed his eyes against his guardian's sweater. "She's in heaven?" He whispered quietly. He liked to here from Remus how his parents were in heaven. How happy they were to see him alive and healthy, down on the ground. "Do you think she's sad because I couldn't come too?"

Remus felt tears come to his eyes then, and he let them go, knowing it was better than holding the emotions deep inside. "No, Cub, no." He breathed out shakily. "She's happy you're here, that you're okay. She wants you to be happy, that's why she did what she did. She loves you, Harry. So does your father. They love you enough to give you a chance at a happy life."

Harry was quiet then for a moment before opening his eyes and peering up at Remus again. "Do you love me, Remus?"

"Oh, Cub." Remus whispered, a smile spreading over his face as he smoothed his hand over the boy's hair and kissed the top of his head. "More than you'll ever know."

- ~ -

It wasn't until many years later that it became easy to forget the past. Remus was so wrapped up in Harry's life that days would go by when he never thought of James or Lily. But it was growing harder not to think about Sirius, not with recent events. Sirius had recently escaped from Azkaban, and if that wasn't terrifying enough, he was rumored to be after Harry. Remus could not process this. How could the man who had held that little boy in his arms thirteen years before and sworn to always protect him, be after his life? But Remus supposed he didn't understand a lot about Sirius anymore.

In a few weeks, Harry would be off to his third year at Hogwarts. Usually, this would be a cause of pride and celebration for Remus, but he wasn't sure Harry was safe there anymore. The last two years had been a series of horrible events that had led Harry to the hospital wing more times than Remus would like to count. And now, with Sirius on the run, Remus wasn't so sure Harry should be so far away from home.

This was why, when Dumbledore offered him the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, he was ready to accept with no hesitation. It wasn't as if he needed the money. James and Lily's inheritance was enough for he and Harry to live on for the rest of their lives, as well as any family Harry might have, but this was different. Now, he could come with Harry to Hogwarts and keep an eye out for him. Also, he could keep an eye out for Sirius. There was no doubt in his mind that Sirius would find a way in using their passage ways, and he would be sure to monitor that as well as his animagus.

His thoughts were interrupted as Harry came into the kitchen, the Daily Prophet in his hands. Remus gave him a smile and a greeting before moving to finish cooking him breakfast. French toast, eggs, and sausage were on the menu today and as he began serving them both, he eyed the folded up Prophet warily. "Did you sleep well?" He sat down across from Harry, handing him a fork before he dug into his food himself.

"Mhmm." Harry said through a mouthful of French toast, his absolute favorite. After a swallow of pumpkin juice, he unfolded the prophet and slid it across the table so that Remus could get a better look. "Did you see this, Remus? This man, Sirius Black. Is that the same…" He trailed off, looking apprehensive. When he had seen the picture, he instantly recognized the man from pictures Remus had shared with him. Remus told him about Sirius, how he was his godfather, how he had loved him when he was a baby. He tried to shield him from most of the truth. Some of it, Remus wasn't even ready to say out loud after all of these years. "Is this the same man who's my godfather?"

Remus put down his fork then and felt a sense of dread rise in him. The same sense of dread when he had found out Harry had faced Voldemort at eleven years old and barely made it out alive. The same sense of dread he felt when Dumbledore informed him Harry had disappeared into the Chamber of Secrets and had defeated a basilisk. This was also the kind of dread he had kept in the pit of his stomach since Harry started asking questions. But he couldn't lie to him. Not about anything. Even when the ignorance would have given him more time to be innocent. "Yes, Harry. He's your godfather. He's escaped from Azkaban."

There was an unsettling silence then as Harry seemed to process this, chewing his eggs slowly. Confusion clouded his features as he turned his eyes to Remus's. "I…I don't understand. What was he doing in Azkaban? Why didn't you tell me this before?" Because of Remus's earlier hesitance to talk about Sirius, Harry had assumed he was dead like his parents. However, It seemed as though Remus had been lying to him for years. "What else aren't you telling me, Remus? What did he do?"

Remus knew there was no use in lying to him. He had done it enough. Harry would eventually find out from someone else, and that would be much worse. "I'll tell you, Harry, but you have to promise me that you'll…listen to me, okay? No matter what, you can't let this year become like last year and the year before. You need to come to me before you run off and do horribly dangerous things. Especially now that I'm going to be at Hogwarts with you. Do you promise?"

When Harry nodded hesitantly, Remus rubbed the back of his neck. "Sirius Black was your godfather. Well, I suppose he still is, but those are only words to me now. He was in Azkaban because he killed a friend of mine and of your parents and he killed thirteen other muggles. At least…that's what he was charged for." Remus swallowed then, tightly. "And I think you need to hear from me and not from the press or anyone at Hogwarts…that he was also blamed for your parent's death. He was their Secret Keeper. You remember what I told you about Secret Keepers?"

"They are the only ones who know the location of a certain residence. Dumbledore is our Secret Keeper." Harry's voice came out in a quiet, surprised whisper. He was staring down at his lap, his fists clenched tightly at his knees. "Why? Why would he do that…what is he doing out now? I don't understand…" Tears pricked Harry's eyes then. His godfather…Remus had shown him pictures of him before. Had told him that the man was his godfather, but Harry had passed him off, assuming him to be dead. And now. Now he was a murderer? Responsible for his parents death? It was all too much.

"Harry, please..." Remus put a hand on his arm then, squeezing it gently. He wished he hadn't had to tell him this. That he could keep in the dark, let him continue to have a normal childhood like he had before Hogwarts, but he deserved to hear it from someone he trusted and not from the Daily Prophet. "I don't want you to be angry or feel like you can help this. The last thing we need this year is for you to run off and get yourself into this entire mess. Sirius is dangerous, he's proven this. And there's a possibility...that he could want to hurt you. Promise me you'll be careful."

Harry didn't say a word, still staring at his lap. All he could think of was finding this man, getting some kind of revenge for his parents. How could their best friend and the person they had trusted to be his godfather betray them? Harry had never thought about a direct cause other than Voldemort for his parent's death. And just knowing he had someone to blame, someone he could reach, put a fire of vengeance in him he couldn't ignore. He wanted Sirius Black to pay for what he took away from him.

"Harry, answer me." Remus hissed, concern coming into his eyes as he watched Harry battle through the thoughts in his head. "You heard what I said before, didn't you? Do not put yourself into trouble because you think Sirius deserves it. You don't know what he's capable of. Hell, I don't even know what he's capable of. I don't know him at any more." The last words were said in a quiet, defeated whisper. "Promise me you'll at least come to me when you feel you're going to do something rash."

Harry paused from his own thoughts, looking up at Remus. When he saw that hurt, concerned look there in his guardian's eyes, he nodded slowly. A sigh escaped him then, knowing he could never really turn down Remus. He respected and loved him too much to disobey him directly, and knew that he would have to be careful this year if he wanted to come back to Hogwarts for his fourth year.

- ~ -

When the school year started and was underway, it was easier for Remus to trust that Harry would be okay. He was right under his nose at all times and everything about the castle felt safe. It was easy to fall into the routine of his classes, and of helping Harry with the problems of the dementors.

When he had heard of the cloaked figures being on the grounds, he had been completely furious with Dumbledore. Harry had always had problems with dark creatures like boggarts and dementors were just something else to fuel the nightmares the boy had had for years. However, the headmaster had explained the security it presented and though he didn't care for their placement himself, the ministry had insisted.

Remus wasn't sure what he hated more. The idea that the dementors were giving Harry constant frights and nightmares, or the fact that if they caught who they were after, Sirius would finally be really gone. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. Honestly, he was surprised he felt anything for the man as it was. He supposed you didn't stop caring about the well being of someone overnight, no matter what the circumstances. At least Remus couldn't.

He was particularly relieved when Harry had come to him with the Marauder's Map. After receiving it from Fred and George, Harry found no real use for it. He already had the invisibility cloak to sneak around the grounds and as Remus had signed his forms to go to Hogsmeade (with Remus present, of course), he saw no reason to sneak around there. He told Remus that he had recognized the names from the stories Remus had told him and knew it was something Sirius could have used against them. Remus had never prouder of Harry, or more confident in how he had raised him.

Though the map seemed to make Remus paranoid. Whenever he was alone, he seemed to always end up spreading it across his desk, watching for Sirius. He had already appeared a few times before Harry had turned over the map, but he hadn't appeared again since then. Remus often wondered if he knew. Knew that Remus was looking for him. But of course, he couldn't have.

What worried him the most was the question of who Sirius was really after. Could he truly be out to kill Harry? It was easier...well, maybe that wasn't the right word...but it made more sense after twelve years to reason that Sirius had lost his mind and had been brainwashed by Voldemort, seduced by power. Enough to betray his friends. But Remus had a hard time believing it was possible that Sirius would ever kill Harry directly, with his own hand and wand. He had loved that boy like his own son from day one. How could he suddenly stop? Suddenly want him dead?

Betraying your friends was one thing, but killing someone you saw as your son was entirely another. He had to be after something else. Remus almost hoped he was after him...anyone but Harry. The boy had become just as much, if not more, of a son to him then he had been to James or Lily or Sirius, as hard as it was to say it. Remus knew it sounded horrible, but it was the honest truth. He had been there for the times he was sick, for the nightmares, for his first Qudditch game. He had sat in Dumbledore's office many nights, year after year, waiting to see if Harry would live through yet another adventure of his. He couldn't loose him now. He would stand in front of Sirius's wand if he had to. He would kill him if he had to. And that terrified him.

Tonight, he had the map spread across his desk as always, and as he paused from his thoughts to look over at it, something caught his eye. Slowly, he walked over and pressed his finger to Harry's name. "What is he doing out of bed?" He whispered underneath his breath, frustration growing. Though, as his eyes moved across the map and noticed that not only was he alone, obviously on his way to Hagrid's, but someone else was joining him. Someone who was making a b-line straight for him.

"Oh, Merlin...Sirius!" Remus breathed out, turning and racing out the door without a second's hesitation. In his hurry, he didn't notice a third name sneaking onto the map. What a surprise it would be, to trip over a rat somewhere in between here and there.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry moved across the ground in his invisibility cloak, intent on visiting Hagrid. Remus had warned him not to travel the grounds by himself, but Hagrid had been lonesome and down since the death of Buckbeak and Harry wished to comfort him. Surely Remus would understand that, and either way, he wouldn't find out. It would be a quick trip and he would be back before Remus could notice him out of his bed. His teenage mind seemed to pass over the fact that Remus might be checking the map. After all, he wasn't as familiar with the workings of it as Remus was.

He barely made it half way to the hut when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Tilting his head, he squinted in the darkness before leaning down to pick up the small rat scampering around his feet. "Scabbers?" He whispered, gently patting its head as it shivered horribly. Ron had been convinced the rat was dead for weeks, and had blamed Hermione and her cat. But, here he was. Toe missing and all. "How did you get here? I guess Hagrid can wait, we best get you back to Ron, hm?"

However, just as he was about to turn towards the castle, he heard a low growl from behind him. Turning, his eyes widened considerably when he saw a black dog standing on four legs just a few feet in front of him. Clutching the rat closer to him, he took a step away, causing the dog to take a jump towards him. Turning, Harry broke into the sprint, running in the other direction.

How a rabid dog had found his way onto the grounds, Harry didn't know, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Hagrid. Swallowing, he spotted the Whomping Willow ahead of him and tried desperately to think back to a conversation he had with Remus years ago, when he first came to Hogwarts. He had floo'ed him about the large, violent tree on campus, wanting to know what it was for.

"Well, when I was in school, Dumbledore had it planted there for me. It covers a passage way, a save hiding spot for me during my transformations when I was at Hogwarts. The swinging branches keep anyone from going near it, and I would advise you to never do so. Because you never know what could be lurking inside the shack, even without the full moon." Remus had paused then, seemingly debating on whether or not he should tell Harry his next tip. "However, if you do ever find yourself facing the Whomping Willow, or needing a place to hide, all you need to do is touch the knot under the lowest branch. A long switch will do. Then the tree will stop attacking. But don't you dare tell anyone, Harry Potter! Not even Hermione or Ron." Harry had promised, and had relatively forgotten about it...until now.

Thinking fast, he grabbed the nearest switch he saw, not wanting to give the dog a chance to catch up. Stuffing Scabbers into his coat pocket, he pressed the knob with the stick and dove into the open hatch underneath the tree. With a ungraceful thump, he landed and immediately pulled out his wand, prepared now to hex the dog as soon as it jumped in after him. Hermione's animal rights speeches be damned, he was not going to be mauled.

Though, as a figure did slide into the hatch, Harry felt his breath catch in his throat and himself stumble back into the wall behind him. It was no dog, rather a man. A quite dirty, recognizable man. Harry found himself speechless, his wand still pointed directly at Sirius Black standing just a few feet in front of him.

Raising his hands slowly, Sirius seemed to surrender, a surprised look on his face as he focused on Harry now from a human eye level. "I'm sorry I scared you." He croaked out, causing Harry to stumble further, though he couldn't go father back. "I wasn't...trying to chase you." He could barely get he words out, his eyes seemingly fixed on the squirming pocket in the front of Harry's shirt.  
>"What do you mean, you weren't trying to chase me?" Harry gasped out, moving out of Sirius's gaze, sliding across the wall. Oh, why couldn't he have listened to Remus and stayed in the castle? He was foolish, incredibly foolish. And if this man didn't kill him first, Remus certainly would. "You were growling, running after me!" Maybe if he kept him occupied with this conversation, he could have time to think of an escape. "Do you think I don't know why you're here? Why you keep breaking into the school? You're after me! You're chasing me!"<p>

Sirius managed to pull his eyes away from Scabbers to look at Harry, a crazed sort of confusion in his eyes. He couldn't concentrate much on what Harry was accusing him of, all he could think about was getting to Peter. Ruining him. "After you? What in the world would make you think I was after you?" Though, as the words sunk into the sane part of Sirius's unconscious, it made a little sense. He was at Hogwarts, breaking in into Harry's dorm, chasing him across the grounds. Of course they thought he was after Harry.

"You killed my parents!" Harry exclaimed then before he could stop himself, feeling his heartbeat quicken with anger. He squeezed his wand in his hand tighter, trying to steady it enough so he could defend himself when the time came. "You betrayed them. You're the reason they're dead!" He felt irrational now. Half fear, half anger. Was he really ready to kill this man as he had told himself months before he would?

"I won't deny that, Harry. That I was responsible...but please, if you'll just listen to reason for a moment and hear what I have to say about it, you'd understand better." He watched his godson warily, finding it hard not to think how surreal it was, to be threatened by the one person he had been staying sane for. He had waited twelve years to see Harry, and now he was facing the end of his wand. How life played tricks on you.

However, before either of them could say anything further, the sound of someone else sliding down the shoot caught their attention. "Harry!" Gasped Remus, landing to his feet. His eyes immediately flashed to Sirius, turning his wand on him then. "Why do you have him here? Why?" He demanded, his eyes wide with anger and fear. It wasn't as if he was afraid of Sirius. He knew without a wand, there was no danger where the man was involved, but he was always afraid for Harry, and had been since the moment he had taken his first steps.

Harry looked to Remus in surprise, his wand lowering now. "I'm sorry." He gasped out, seeming more afraid of Remus now then Sirius. "I know-I..." Though he wanted to explain himself, he knew this wasn't the time to apologize. Looking back to Sirius then, he backed up to Remus. Once he reached him, Remus reached out his free hand to push Harry behind him.

Sirius watched them warily, his hands up in front of his chest in surrender. His eyes followed Harry as he was pushed behind Remus and he wondered how close they were. If Remus had replaced who Sirius had always wanted to be. "I'm unarmed, Remus...what do you think I'm going to do to him?" His words came out in a weak croak. "Please, just let me explain myself-"

"Explain yourself?" Remus gasped out, his wand still pointed at his former best friend. "What can be explained? Everyone says you're here...that you broke out to kill Harry. Tell me that isn't true. Tell me that you wouldn't take the last person I have after you've snatched away everyone else! Tell me it isn't true, Sirius!"

Sirius was shaking his head wildly at the accusations. "It isn't true! This has nothing to do with Harry...I'd-" He looked to Harry then, who was peaking out from behind Remus. "I would never hurt him, Remus...you have to know that."

"I don't know you at all anymore." Remus whispered, his hand strong, yet his voice wavering. "Do you deny killing James and Lily? Killing Peter? Do you claim to be entirely innocent when so much evidence was put against you? Why should I trust you? Trust anything that comes out of that treacherous mouth?" His questions spat from his mouth furiously as he took a step forward, keeping Harry behind him. "What do you want?"

Harry had a hold of the back of Remus's sweater with one hand, a childhood habit he had yet to let go of, and one hand balled at his side. He didn't know what to do at that point. Should he run back to the castle and alert Dumbledore and the dementors? It didn't seem right. Something...didn't seem right to Harry as he watched Sirius cautiously. He didn't look too dangerous to Harry. As a matter of fact, he looked comforting. Like a memory Harry had long since repressed.

"A chance. Remus, I want a chance to explain!" Sirius's words were more forceful then, desperate. Harry felt Remus flinch at his tone. "Not once, did anyone ever ask me what happened, or let me give my side of the story. No, I do not deny that what happened to James and Lily was my fault, but I didn't kill them. And I didn't kill Peter."

"Then who did?" Remus exclaimed, his face twisting up into pain. "Who killed my best friends? All the arrows point to you. You killed them! You betrayed James and Lily and you killed Peter!"

Harry watched as Sirius's head seemed to almost snap back, as if he had been slapped. They were all quiet for a moment, before Sirius spoke. "I didn't kill Peter. Peter isn't dead." He looked to Harry then, taking a step forward towards him. "Harry, hand me what's in your pocket."

"Get away from him!" Remus snapped, taking a step to the side to hide Harry. "Don't you dare talk to him like he matters to you." He looked back at Harry then, who had reached into his coat pocket and taken out a rat. Remus stared at it for what seemed like longer then it probably was. "Harry..."

Sirius watched Remus closely, wondering if his own heartbeat could be heard by everyone in the room. His nerves forced it to bounce hard against his chest, making his stomach hurt and his head dizzy. "Look closely, Remus. That isn't any ordinary garden rat."

Harry looked down at Scabbers, his forehead creasing in worry. "It's...it's just Scabbers. Ron's rat. He's had him for-" He paused then, his voice growing softer. "Forever. He said he was a family pet. That his brother had passed him down to him." It was all sounding odd to Harry's ears now. Why would a rat live more than ten years? Looking up to Remus now, he had a hard time meeting his eyes, as he was staring at Scabbers.

Remus's face twisted with a mix of confusion, pain, and most of all, disgust. Scabbers squirmed ruthlessly in Harrys hands and slowly, Remus reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, holding him in front of his face and inspecting him. "Wormtail." He breathed out in disbelief, knowing that he would recognize any of their animaguses at first glance. Looking to Sirius now, he felt his heart start to quicken, his throat tighten. Sirius was innocent.

Harry came out from behind Remus fully then, looking at him with confusion and fear. "What is he talking about?" He asked, looking tot he rat now. "What's wrong with Scabbers?" The rat twisted and turned in Remus's hold and the older man had to use both of his hands now to clutch him tightly. Harry felt sorry for him, being so trapped and afraid. He couldn't understand how this little creature could be the subject of the anger now coming from both Sirius and Remus's eyes. "Someone explain to me what's going on!"

Remus looked to Harry then, his eyes softening slightly. He wished Harry didn't have to see this, that he had never been involved. Through his entire life, Remus had tried to steer the boy towards a normal childhood and away from the ghosts in his past. However, it seemed that was sometimes impossible. Harry couldn't be hidden away from the truth forever, which was why he told him about Sirius, why he told him the truth about his parents. They had no secrets between each other, and that led to Harry trusting him. Remus couldn't loose that now. "I think maybe it would be better if I showed you, Harry."

Sirius watched then, his eyes trailing Scabbers as he was set down on the broken table in front of them. He scampered away, but Remus caught him with his wand, forcing him to transform into the overweight, thought to be dead, man. "Peter." Sirius spat out, taking a step forward, though Remus held out a hand to stop him. Sirius attempted to move forward, but Remus grabbed onto his arm. "Remus, let me go!" He hissed, his eyes on Peter now, who was cowering under the wand Remus still had pointed at him. "I've waited twelve years to commit the crime I was convicted for. Give me this one thing!"

Harry could see the guilt mix in with the anger on Remus's face as he tried to focus on Peter. "We need to explain to Harry what is happening. You can't just murder someone right in front of him without explaining why. Don't you think he's confused and affected by whats happened to his parents enough?" Remus's voice was quiet, yet strong, as he kept his eyes trained on Peter, never looking away.

Sirius took a step back then, meeting Harry's eyes as the boy looked up at him. He looked so young to Sirius then, and he suddenly say the one year old he had left twelve years before. Toddling towards him that Halloween day. Hours before their world would come crashing to a halt. His to an end. "Yes...I know. I understand. I just..." He gritted his teeth then, his eyes moving to Peter. "Tell him! Tell him what you did."

Peter shook his head then, shaking. "Harry! Harry...listen to me. Listen. I didn't do anything." He crawled towards the boy then, who took a step back in fear and disgust. "I'm innocent! Don't let them kill me. Don't let Sirius try to kill me again. He's a murderer! I just managed to get away!"

"How dare you!" Remus snapped, using his free hand to pull Harry gently away from the groveling man. "Don't you talk to Harry as if you know him. As if you've ever cared about him." He suddenly had only one desire, and that was to get Harry and Sirius as far away from here as possible, unarmed. He needed to sort this out, needed to know what had happened ad if he could find some redemption for the best friend he had cased aside. He supposed to do this, he would have to know the truth from Peter first. "Did you or did you not betray James and Lily to Voldemort?"

Peter began to shake his head back and forth wildly, but Sirius interrupted him. "Don't lie!" He yelled, pointed his hand at him. "Tell the truth. It's the least you could do after what you've put us through. James and Lily made you secret keeper to throw the scent off of all of us, and to confuse Voldemort. But he found you, and you cowardly told him where they were. Didn't you?" He moved forward then despite Remus's requests and grabbed the front of Peter's robes, shaking him. "Didn't you?"

"He was going to kill me, Sirius!" Peter gasped out, rattled under the tight hold. "He tortured me, made me tell him where they were! I told him where they were because I was was afraid for my life. I didn't think he would kill James and Lily-"

"He was going to kill Harry." Remus snapped, his eyes narrowing. "He was after a baby that we had all agreed we'd protect to the point of death. And you betrayed him, you betrayed all of us, and you blamed it all on Sirius. You're a coward, and you should be dealt with like a coward." He advanced on him then, his wand outstretched.

"Let me." Sirius said quietly, holding out his hand for Remus's wand. Remus looked hesitant, but Sirius quickly shook his head. "Please, Remus. It shouldn't be you. If we're both caught, what will happen to Harry?" He looked to his godson then, his brow creasing. After so long of not seeing him, could he handle going back to Azkaban? Never seeing him again?

Harry bowed his head as the confusion of what was being said swirled in his thoughts. He was beginning to understand that Sirius was indeed innocent, that he hadn't been after Harry at all. Suddenly, Harry felt a rush of guilt in the pit of his stomach as he thought of Sirius spending so much time in Azkaban for no reason at all. Peter deserved to be punished for what he had done to them all. In fact, Harry was almost positive he felt Peter should die. But he wasn't sure Sirius deserved to go back to prison once he was found and no evidence was left to prove his innocence. "No!" He exclaimed then, surprising Remus, who was about to hand Sirius his wand. "Don't kill him. Lets bring him up to the castle, show him to Dumbledore. He can help us free Sirius, help us clear his name. If you kill the rat, then that will never happen."

Peter cried out then, moving towards Harry and grabbing onto his robes. "Thank you! Oh, thank you for having such mercy on me -" Remus interrupted him, pulling him off Harry and throwing Peter forward.

"Stay away from him." Remus growled out, his anger for Peter at its peak. Though he knew Harry was right. James wouldn't have wanted them to kill Peter either, wouldn't have wanted to see his two best friends become murderers. "But Harry's right." He looked to Sirius then, who looked as though he was thinking along the same lines himself, though he was reluctant to. "I don't want you to go back to prison, Sirius." He looked to his former best friend then, pain hidden in his eyes. He knew that any sort of proper reunion would have to be done later, but he didn't want the chance to have one at all to be taken away by a rash want for vengeance and revenge.

Harry waved his wand then, remembering a spell that Remus had taught him. Ropes shot from the tip of his wand then, binding tightly around Peter's arms and legs. "We can transport him this way." He said quietly, ignoring the looks of surprise and pride both Sirius and Remus gave him. "Sirius should turn back into a dog, so that the dementors won't recognize him as a threat. We'll go straight to Dumbledore and he'll help us from there."

Nodding slowly, Remus levitated Peter and watched as Sirius transformed. Leading the way, Harry quickly moved through the grounds, carefully avoiding all of the dementors, who took their stations more near the boundary of Hogsmeade. Sirius padded along close behind him, careful to keep an eye on Peter if he should choose to transform. Remus had his wand trained on him, however, and had promised to kill him with no hesitation if he transform. His exact words, as a matter of fact, was that he would "stomp on him as he would any other rat scampering away."

Once they had safely arrived at the office of the Headmaster, Remus quietly gave the password, thankful for the time of night and the fact that they hadn't run into any students or professors along the way. He followed Harry and Padfoot into the passageway with Peter, sighing with relief when the doors closed behind them. They were safe.

Dumbledore came around the corner then, the confusion on his eyes changing quickly to shock. "Sirius." He gasped out as the dog transformed, and as his eyes traveled to Peter, where they stayed. "And Peter. Well, I'm interested to hear your explanations. Come in." Harry and Sirius followed after him into his main office, with Remus and Peter coming last.

Once Peter was placed in the chair and held there by Remus, Dumbledore came towards him with a small vial. "This is veritaserum, Peter. Once you drink it, we'll know the truth. I suspect I know it already, seeing as you're alive and Sirius didn't kill you after all, but I would like to hear it for myself. And I'd like the Minister as well."

Peter shook his head quickly. "Albus please! You must understand, you must hear my side of the story!" He whispered this desperately, as if only Dumbledore would understand what he had to do. However, Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him, looking to Harry and then back to Peter.

"You'll have plenty of time to tell your side of the story, Mr. Pettigrew, and you'll do it honestly, not filtered with lies. We've had enough confusion on this subject for too many years now and it's time for the truth. Remus." He looked to his employee then, his eyes narrowing. "Harry doesn't need to be here for this. I think you should take him home. It's the weekend, he doesn't have any classes until Tuesday. Take him home and with your permission, I will send Sirius there when this is all settled. Alright?"

Remus looked to Sirius then and found himself hesitant to. leave him there alone, after he had failed him in so many ways already. "Of course. Of course Sirius is welcome when this is...when this is done." He looked to Harry then, who was about to object, and gave him a pointed look. "I'd like to stay and see this through myself, but I agree that Harry's had enough adventure for tonight." Harry shrunk a little under his gaze then, knowing he was in more than just a bit of trouble.

As they were walking away from Dumbledore's office, Remus tried to process everything that had happened in the past hour. After twelve years of believing something to be true, he couldn't digest the fact that he had been wrong all along. That Sirius was innocent and that he had let his best friend get locked away without so much as a fair trail. And then, there was the fact that Harry had run off and nearly gotten himself killed. Whether Sirius was safe or not, Harry didn't know that and Remus wasn't so sure he could let go of the fact that he had snuck out of his room and roamed the grounds when he had been specifically told not to.

Harry stayed silent through the walk on the grounds, his own mind swimming with the information that had been thrust on him and the lies he had been living with for years. What would this mean for him? Sirius was his godfather...would that mean that he would have to go live with him and leave Remus? A charge of fear hit his chest then and he closed his eyes, pressing his chin to his chest as they walked. He didn't know what he was afraid of more, Remus scolding him when they got home, or losing the man he though of as a father for good.

Similar thoughts plagued Remus, but he shook them roughly from his mind. Sirius would never do such a thing, he knew that now. Knew that he wasn't the man that Remus had thought him to be, that he was still the man he'd been when they were friends so many years ago. He wouldn't take Harry away from him. Once they passed the boundary of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, Remus took Harry's arm in his hand and pulled him close to his side. Wrapping an arm around his back, he closed his eyes and pictured their cottage, apperating as quickly as he could away from the dementors surrounding them.

Once they were inside and the door was closed, Harry pealed off his dirty cloak and put it in the laundry basket before looking to Remus tentatively. "Go get cleaned up." Remus said quietly, motioning his head towards the stairs. "And then come down here. I think we need to talk."

Harry nodded, biting his lip for a moment before turning and making his way upstairs. Remus moved to sit down on the sofa, covering his face with his hands. Sirius was innocent. The fact went through his head over and over again, and no matter how many times, he couldn't believe it. Not that it didn't make sense, now, it did. But Remus hated to think that he could have stopped it from happening, that he was partly to blame.

And what would happen now that Sirius was to be free? Would he take custody of Harry? Remus's heart clenched at the thought. It would be perfectly legal, as Sirius was to be his guardian in the case of his parent's death, but was it fair? Remus had raised him his entire life. Surely, in any case of court, that would stand up higher then a former convict. But the question was...would Remus challenge it. He had take so much away from Sirius already. Was it fair to take away Harry too? Remus didn't want to think of it, didn't want to think of losing the one thing that had kept his life meaningful and necessary all these years. There had to be a way they could all win.


	3. Chapter 3

When Harry came back downstairs, Remus forced himself out of his thoughts and stood, feeling the frustration from before rush back. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you tonight?" His voice deathly quiet as he looked up at Harry. "What were you thinking, sneaking out of bed so late?"

"I went to see Hagrid." Harry argued quietly, shaking his head. "Not to get into trouble. Buckbeak was executed tonight and we-we tried to stop it..." He lowered his head then, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. A large lump had risen in his throat and he fought it down, trying to concentrate on telling his side of the story. "I shouldn't have snuck out, I should have told you why I wanted to leave, but I knew you woudn't let me!"

Though Remus's eyes softened at Harry's selfless reasoning, he knew he had a point to make. "You're right, I wouldn't have let you" He took Harry by the shoulders then and led him to sit down on the couch. Sitting next to him, he met his eyes. "I told you at the beginning of the year that it would be dangerous for you to go off on your own. You promised me you'd be careful, and you were anything but. What if you had run into Sirius and he wasn't so innocent? Or Peter? What if you encountered a dementor and they were confused with who you were? Harry, you can't trust everyone."

"Yes, but I can't live in caution for the rest of my life either." Harry whispered back, not looking at Remus. "That's no life to live, being scared of everything, always looking over my shoulder. I want to be able to take a walk without being punished for it because its dangerous."

"Going out alone at night in any scenario is dangerous, Harry!" Remus exclaimed, standing now and looking down at him. "The point is not why you did what you did, it's that you directly disobeyed me. I told you not to go out past curfew alone. Dumbledore told you, and I'm sure Hermione and Ron did too. But you don't listen, and it could get you killed." He kneeled then in front of Harry then, making him meet his eyes. "Like it or not, you are different. I love you all the same for it, but you are not like other teenagers. Your life is more dangerous then the average thirteen year old, and believe or not, I know whats out there. Whats trying to get to you." He grabbed Harry's wrist in his hand then as the boy looked away, and gently pulled him so that he would look at him. "So when I tell you not to do something, you need to trust me. And you need to not do it. Understand?"

Harry nodded, staring in his lap now, unable to meet Remus's eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispered, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. "I didn't do it to disobey you...I just wanted to feel normal."

A sad smile came to Remus's face as he stood and brought Harry with him. Putting his hands on his shoulders, he squeezed them. "I know. I know you wanted to help Hagrid,and I know you wanted to forget for a moment how cautious your life needs to be. Next time, come to me. Tell me what you want to do and I'll find someone to go with you if you don't want me to. We need to communicate, Harry. I want to trust you, and I want you to trust me. Like we always have. Deal?"

"Deal." Harry whispered, and moved forward, rapping his arms around Remus. "I'm sorry." He breathed now, pressing his face into the reliable warmth of Remus's sweater. Every moment of security came back to him then and he could remember all the times in his childhood where he had snuggled like this into Remus's chest and everything bad went away. Even as he got older, that reassurance never seemed to disappear."I'm so sorry."

Without hesitation, Remus's arms came around him and held him tightly to him, as if he was worried that if he let go, Harry would disappear again. "I was so afraid for you...you have to see that. You've scared me so many times since the moment you took your first steps, but tonight was something else entirely. Please, Harry...you have to be more careful." He pulled away then, but held onto Harry's shoulders so the boy would hold his gaze. "Promise me you'll be more careful, and mean it this time."

Harry looked reluctant for a moment, still worried he'd be punished further. Though, he wasn't sure why. Remus had always been very patient and fair, but this time seemed different. He seemed far angrier, far more disappointed. "I promise."He said quietly, watching Remus now. "Are you...are you disappointed in me? Do you not trust me anymore?"

"I know you meant well, and I do want to trust you. You just need to start giving me reasons to." He reached up then, smoothing back the messed hair from Harry's forehead. But it just flopped back to where it had been before, making Remus's smile grow. "But I don't want you to think that I'm disappointed in you. I know you weren't trying to directly disobey me, and that you were being careful. And I'm proud of you for sparing Peter when you could have easily let us kill him. I would have regretted that, I know."

"Partly why I couldn't let you." Harry said quietly. "I couldn't let you become a murderer for him. He wasn't worth that. He deserves to spend more years then Sirius in Azkaban, losing his mind. Plus, Sirius deserves to be free if he's innocent. I didn't want to see him go back to Azkaban."

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment and patted Harry on the shoulder before letting go and moving over to the stove. Harry watched silently as Remus started the fire under the kettle and prepared two teacups. "Speaking of Sirius, how do you feel about him? About what you've found out tonight? I know it's a lot to take in...you must have some questions." He crossed his arms over his chest then, obviously nervous as to what they would be. But he had gotten used to Harry's questions over the years.

There was only one question Harry could think it to ask, as it had been going through his head over and over since he had heard the truth. That Sirius was innocent and that he was his godfather. "Will I have to go live with Sirius now?" His voice was quiet, hesitate, as if he wasn't sure if he should ask.

On one hand, it made Remus sad that it was such a negative thing. Sirius should have gotten a chance to be a parent to Harry. On the other hand, though, Remus was relieved to know he wasn't jumping at the opportunity to leave him. "Would you want to live with him if you had the choice?" He hated himself for hoping he would say no. That Harry would want to stay with Remus no matter how deserving Sirius might be of the chance at the happiness he deserved.

"I don't know him." Harry said quickly, almost in a panicked way as he met Remus's eyes. "I mean...I'd like to get to know him. Because he knew Mum and Dad and he was you friend, and I feel bad that he took the responsibility for something he didn't do. But I...I don't think I'd want to live with him, without you. Do you think that could happen? That the ministry would see him as my legal guardian?"

Shaking his head, Remus looked relived as he took a few steps towards Harry, pouring them both a cup of tea and pushing his towards him. "I don't think so, no. I adopted you when you were a baby, and everything's perfectly legal. I don't think Sirius has any standing any more, though the ministry has been known to surprise." He reached out a hand then, touching Harry's arm to comfort him. "But I will fight for whatever you want, Cub. Whether it be to live with me or him, I'll give you whatever you want."

"I want you." Harry whispered before he could stop himself. "I want to live here with you. No matter what. You're...you're my family. I love you, and I don't want to leave you." Remus's face softened, and he was about to interrupt, but Harry stopped him. "Wait, let me finish. I don't want you to think that I'd ever consider going anywhere else. I love living with you, I love...being here. It's my home." He moved forward then, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can't image where I'd be if you hadn't taken care of me all these years. You're my only parent, and the only father I ever remember having." He looked hesitate then. "Would you let me live anywhere else?"

Remus shook his head before reaching forward and pulling Harry into his arms again. Hugging him tightly, he sighed into his shoulder. "No, Cub. No. I would have let you live anywhere else, which is horribly selfish of me, but I don't care." He pulled away then, putting his hands to Harry's neck and cupping his chin. "As wonderful as it is to know Sirius is innocent and that he is going to be free, I don't want anything to change between us. I'm going to offer that Sirius stay here as long as he needs, but if that makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, you let me know."

"No, I think it's a good idea." Harry said quietly. "He needs to be around someone who cares about him, and I know you do." He smiled then, and just when he was about to ask whether or not Remus was planning on returning to school with him, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He turned to look at the front door, where Dumbledore and Sirius could clearly be seen standing outside.

Harry stood there for a moment, seeming to weigh his options left and right. "Do you think it would be alright if I sat this one out for awhile? Gave you two some time to talk?" He wasn't ready for this, ready to face Sirius. Too much had already happened that night and he needed time to process it. Remus could see this, and understood it completely.

"Of course. You're right, I think I need to do this alone." Remus was nervous himself. After all, it had been twelve years since he had seen his best friend. Twelve years of being convinced he was a murderer and the reason for all of his unhappiness. Yet, here he was, innocent of everything Remus believed him to be guilty for. And now the guilt was on him.

When he got to the entry way, Sirius was already inside and Dumbledore was gone. Sirius looked nervous and apprehensive, keeping close to the door he had come in. "He had to...bring me." He croaked out, his voice even worse then before. "Some powerful protections you have on this house. Don't go giving that location away to just anyone. Never know who you can trust." He cracked the faintest, saddest of smiles then. It was a bad joke, but it seemed to have broken the ice, as at that moment, Remus moved forward, pulling Sirius into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He breathed into his shoulder, hugging him tighter. Sirius felt surprise and relief filling him as he wrapped his arms around Remus in return. "I'm so sorry, Sirius." He didn't know what to say, how to properly apologize as he wanted to.

Shaking his head, Sirius laughed. "Don't apologize, not on such a good day. I should apologize, Remus...I must have been terrifying you these past few weeks. I've read the prophet, read what they were saying about me. You must have worried something would happen to Harry." He looked around then, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Speaking of, is he alright?" Remus was touched by how concerned Sirius sounded, and wondered how he could have ever thought this man was capable of hurting anyone, especially Harry.

"He's upstairs. I think tonight was a bit much for him. As for...this past year, with you on the run, I would have to agree. I was scared to death something was going to happen to Harry. He hasn't exactly proven himself to be very responsible these past few years." He moved into the living room then, motioning for Sirius to follow him. "Come on. You look exhausted."

Sirius made a face at the nice furniture as he walked in, looking down at his disgusting robes. "I don't think I should sit down with these on. I'm going to make a permanent imprint."

"Oh, yes." Remus said, feeling foolish then, as he hadn't yet thought about Sirius having a chance to clean up. "I don't think my mind has caught up yet with us. I'm thinking of too many things at once. You should take a shower and change. The bathroom is the first door on your left upstairs, and my bedroom is two doors on the right down from the bathroom. Take whatever you need from my clothes." Maybe a break would be good, so that Remus could get his mind together.

Sirius agreed. It was far too awkward between them then and maybe after a shower and a clearing of his own head,he'd feel better himself. More up to talking about everything. Right now, he felt jumpy, as if he would be told he was going back to Azkaban at any minute. As he moved up the stairs and to Remus's room, he passed Harry's room. Glancing inside, he spotted Harry sitting faced away from him, a book laying open and unread in his lap. He had the sudden urge to go to him and comfort him, but he knew it wouldn't be well received. It would take a long time for Harry to be comfortable with him.

Once he had a sweater, pair of trousers, and other necessities from Remus's room, he moved into the bathroom and turned on the shower as high as he could without any first degree burns. Laying the clothes on the counter, he stripped of his dirty robes and threw them in an empty trash bag, prepared to burn them later. He sighed out as he stepped into the shower, pressing his head to the cold tile of the wall. Harry and Remus weren't alone in being overwhelmed. Sirius had a hard time believing he was in Remus's house a free man. He wondered then how long it would take to feel normal again. After twelve years, he wasn't sure he knew what normal was anymore.

Once he was clean, he made a face at himself in the mirror, his hair long and wet. Drying it to the best of his abilities, he got dressed quickly and made his way downstairs, careful to clean up after himself as he went. He found Remus in the kitchen, stirring a big pot of beef stew with plenty of big pieces of juicy roast, carrots, green beans, peas, and potatoes. "My favorite." He said quietly from the door, surprised that from the smell, he could remember such a odd fact about himself.

Remus looked up and returned his smile the best he could. He ladled two bowls of the stew, Sirius's much larger then his, and left a good portion left for Harry. "I know. I thought maybe you'd be hungry. You deserve a good meal after a diet of water and mush. I don't even want to think of what was added the past few months." He laughed then and paused for a moment, watching Sirius. He was pulling at the tangles in his hair and beard, looking very uncomfortable. Reaching into his pocket for his wand, he held it out to him. "Take it. You need to be comfortable."

Sirius sighed then and took his wand. Remus always seemed to know him so well, and even now, somehow he saw right through him. "Thank you. Will only take a second." As he was leaving, he could have sworn he heard Remus mutter about how vain he still was, and it made him laugh.

Once he was clean shaven and sitting down at the kitchen table, Sirius felt much better then he had when he first arrived. Exhaustion still sat in him, but that was something he had gotten used to. The only difference with that was that he was looking forward to a good nights rest. "This is amazing, Remus. You didn't have to go through so much trouble." He took another few mouth fulls of the stew, having no care at all for how it would effect his stomach later. It was worth it now.

"You know I did." Remus said, surprised at how hungry he was as well after such a long night. There was a lengthy silence as they both ate, but after a few minutes, Remus put down his spoon. "I...Sirius, I have to tell you that I didn't want to believe everything I was told after that night. I wanted to believe you were innocent, but I had no proof otherwise." He looked down at the table then, moving his spoon back and forth across the cloth. "I can't imagine what you must have gone through, what you must have thought. That I had abandoned you."

Sirius was quiet for a long moment then, staring down into his soup. "I did feel abandoned, but it wasn't your fault, Moony. There was so much evidence against you...I would have thought the same thing. I wish I could say that I wouldn't, but I would have thought the same thing." He sighed then, moving his spoon around in the soup now before taking another hearty bite.

"What was it like?" Remus asked then quietly, his soup now forgotten as the guilt slowly ate away at his stomach.

Sirius put down his spoon then and wiped his mouth with his napkin, having finished the bowl in front of him. "What do you want me to say? That it was horrible? Because it was. It was...indescribable, Remus. I thought I would get used to it, I thought I would eventually go insane. But none of that came. Every single night and day I thought of James and Lily. I thought of Harry. I thought of you. It was like every day was a fight to stay sane and aware."

Remus stared down into the soup then, before pushing it away from him and rising from the table. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair and turned away from Sirius. "I thought the hardest thing would be to see James in Harry, or to hear him ask for them in the early days after their death. But that was expected, and I got through it. Pretty soon he understood what had happened and he stopped asking." He put a hand to his face then, silent for a moment. "The hardest part was when he asked for you...because I didn't know what to tell him."

Sirius looked up then, his eyes wide with pain filled surprise. "He asked for me?"

Turning back towards him, Remus nodded. "Everyday for about six months after you were arrested. What do you tell a toddler? I told him his parents had gone to heaven, that they were in peace...but I couldn't lie to him and tell him you were in peace. You weren't...and no matter if you deserved it or not, you weren't dead enough to me yet to lie to him."

"Did you ever tell him the truth?" Sirius asked now, watching him with curiosity. He felt a strange feeling of gratitude for Remus, for not taking the easy opportunity to slander him to Harry. "Or did he find it out from the Prophet?" He hoped his godson hadn't had to read about him, hoped he hadn't felt betrayed.

"I told him what I knew recently, yes." Remus said quietly, moving to place his hands on the back of the chair he had sat in. "I think he's confused, as he barely knew who you were and one day, you were this mystery, the next...the man murdered his parents, and today you're innocent. I don't think he knows what to think, exactly."

Sirius sighed then, rubbing a hand down his face. He felt so very tired of the whole situation, and he still couldn't fully process that it was over. "I should talk to him before I go to sleep." He said quietly, looking towards the stairs before glancing back at his old friend. "We haven't...really talked about..." He paused then, struggling with how to ask. "About how long I'm staying."

"As long as you want, Sirius. Don't worry about it." Remus gave him a comforting smile then, moving to give him a pat on the shoulder. "Harry can always use another adult around and you can answer a lot of questions he has about James and Lily. I think it would be good for the both of you. That is...if you want to stay."

A grin spread across Sirius's face then, and though it didn't quite reach his eyes, Remus knew it was genuine. "I do. But I think I'll let Harry decide too. It's his house as well." He stood then and moved to Remus, pulling him into a tight hug. "Thank you for trusting me, Remus...I know this must be confusing for you most of all. I can't tell you how happy I am to just be here with you."

Remus hugged him in return, patting his back a few times before pulling away. "We have all the time in the world to catch up, Sirius. I don't expect I'll be letting you leave my sight for awhile yet." He gave him a genuine smile then, feeling a sense of relief and comfort in knowing that Sirius was here, safe, and familiar. "But I agree that you should talk to Harry. I have no doubt he has many questions. Always does."

"And I have a lot of answers I've been waiting too long to give him." Sirius said quietly, surprising himself with the raw truth of those words. Standing up, he gave one last goodbye to Remus before moving towards Harry's bedroom. What hit him suddenly was the knowledge that he would see Remus in a matter of a half an hour. This wasn't goodbye, and that gave Sirius the push to move forward.

Knocking on Harry's door frame lightly, Sirius hesitantly peaked his head in, looking towards his godson. "Do you mind if I come in?" When Harry turned and nodded, he took a few steps in, looking around. It was the typical room of a thirteen year old Gryffindor. The wallpaper and bedding were Gryffindor colors and matched well with the cherry wood floors and Quidditch wall decorations. It was easy to see what Harry's life was like looking around at his room, but it didn't show the hard things.

"I didn't want to just barge in." Sirius said quietly, moving now into the room and closing the door a little behind him. But not too much as to make Harry nervous. "I wanted to see how you were holding up. This couldn't have been an easy last few days. Or year, really. So much new information at once"

"Not anymore then you." Harry said quietly, turning towards him fully now and pulling his legs up beneath him. "I kept thinking about that while I was up here. About how you had sat in a cell for twelve years, completely innocent, and I had no idea." He let out a long breath then, obviously frazzled. "Remus...he never said anything bad about you. All these years, he always told me that he wanted me to come up with my own opinions of the past. I think part of him always knew that you were innocent, but the rest of him didn't know what to do about it."

"There was nothing he could have done." Sirius whispered now, touched that Remus had respected his memory and resisted the opportunity to talk bad about him. "Even if he had known for sure I was innocent, it would have been worse, as no one would have taken his word for it, unfortunately. I wish he wouldn't blame himself."

Harry shrugged then, tracing the lion on his bed cover with his finger. "It's how Remus is and always have been. You get used to it."

A smile came to Sirius's face then dispite himself. "Yes, I agree with that...that you get used to it. Speaking of, you've spent more time with Remus then I have. What's your life been like here? Do you like it...does Remus treat you well?" Sirius was almost positive he knew the obvious answer to the question, but he wanted to hear it from Harry. Wanted to see that he had a happy life and that the sacrifice they had all made for him was worth it.

Harry's smile challenged Sirius's and beat it as he looked up. "That's a daft question, isn't it? Of course I love it here. It's been different these past few years while I've been at Hogwarts. But Remus teaches there now too, so we are hardly ever apart. I like it...I like spending time with him."

"What do you do? You and Remus, in your spare time?" Sirius asked, curious now and marveling at how easy this was. He took a seat in a small, red and cold arm chair by the door, watching as Harry thought through all of his experiences with his adoptive father.

"Quidditch, mostly." Harry said with a thoughtful look. "But Remus doesn't enjoy it very much. Says that flying makes him nervous. So, besides that, we play Chess and he teaches me magic I'm not learning in class, or stuff I might be learning next year. For example, this year, he taught me how to produce a patronus."

Sirius raised his eyebrows in surprise then, knowing that it was a great feat for a third year to be able to produce a patronus. "And, knowing that Remus is a good teacher, I assume you can now. What is it, if you don't mind me asking?" He wondered vaguely if it was a wolf, which he thought would be appropriate. Remus had obviously taken good care of him.

"A stag." Harry said, and a sad smile came over Sirius's face as he said it. "Remus says that was my Dad's animagus. He told me the story about how you, my Dad, and Peter all became animagi for him, and I always thought that was...very brave of all of you. And very impressive. I want to become an animagus someday. Do you think you could help me with that sometime?"

Sirius's smile widened then, surprised. "I could try, yes. Of course, I'd probably need to talk to Remus about it, as you're a little young, but I don't see why you can't try. As long as your supervised and don't try to transform too early, it isn't too dangerous. You've already mastered the Patronus, I wouldn't be surprised if you learned this quickly too. You're very bright."

"Thank you." Harry said, feeling a mix of embarrassment and pride swell up in him suddenly at his words. "I guess I haven't really had time to talk to Remus about all of this...to ask the questions I have. But are you staying here with us?" He asked quietly, looking torn about how he felt about it.

Shifting uncomfortably then, Sirius had known these questions were coming and now hoped he would have the right answers. "I know that I may be staying here for awhile, but if you don't want me to, I won't. How do you feel about it?" He was positive that he didn't want to do anything that made Harry feel uncomfortable.

Harry looked hesitant then and was very quiet as he looked down into his lap. It was obvious he wasn't sure how he felt about Sirius or the situation surrounding him and that the change would be something to get used to.

"You do know that I would...that I would never want to replace your father." Sirius cracked a nervous smile then. "Either of them. I know Remus means a lot to you and I don't want to try to get in the middle of that. But I'd like to be here for you. If you would let me...I would like to do whatever I can to make up for lost time."

Harry was quiet for a moment, still staring down at his lap. "Well." He said, looking up at him now with a thoughtful look. "Theres a lot more room in this house then you'd think. I think Remus would like if you stayed...and I would too."

Sirius couldn't help the relieved smile that touched his features then as he felt relieve rush over him. Also, pride swelled up as he realize just how well Harry had been raised. He had to remember to thank Remus again for doing such a good job when Sirius wasn't able. "Thank you, Harry. I really appreciate that. I look forward to getting to know you better."

Sighing now, he stood, gesturing towards the door. "Do you think that we should go find Remus?" When Harry nodded, the moved out of the room and Sirius closed the door behind them. There were still many questions he had and he was sure Harry had some as well, but they would have to wait. It was nice to know that he had all the time in the world now.


End file.
